Its not often that someone tosses you
the keys to their sand car and says go have fun, but that is exactly what
happened to me during the Sand Addiction Dune Tour at Gordons Well. I had
checked out the Predator X18 Intimidator at the Sand Show and was very
impressed by the looks, overall design and simplicity.

But I was doubtful that a car powered by a 170 HP 2.2L
Ecotec and mated to a CVT transmission would be responsive
enough for the way I like to drive. To me speed isnt about
how fast I can run up a hill. Its how fast I can slice
through the dunes with hard turns, hard braking and lots of
acceleration.

Once behind the wheel, I was pleasantly surprised at how responsive the
X18 was. I really didnt expect to be able to accelerate as fast as I did,
and the automatic transmission seemed to provide very good throttle response
in every scenario I hit. And a cool feature about the drivetrain in this car
is the CVT belt also acts as a fuse. It is designed to soak up the shock
that normally hits a transaxle, but brake in extreme circumstances before
more expensive components would typically fail. CVT belts are cheap, and
easy to replace in the field.

As far as handling is concerned, the car was a bit stiff, but to be fair,
the car was setup for desert hardpack, not the dunes. But transitions were
very stable and g-outs were handled just fine. The car likes to slide in the
turns, but it felt very balanced.

Driving the car was very comfortable. I am 6 1 and had plenty of
legroom. The seats and harnesses were comfortable, and the visibility was
great. I felt pretty safe with all of the cross bracing too.

After I had my turn behind the wheel, I handed the keys back over to Rat
Sult from Predator Offroad. I grabbed my camera and gained even more
respect for the cars abilities. Rat has spent a lot of time behind the
wheel of his X18, and it shows.

Overall, I was very impressed with the X18. For a car that has an MSRP
below $30K, it sure seems like you get a lot of car for the money. I really
like that the engine is built by CBM
Motorports and the transmission is built by the
Wright Gearbox. A lot of parts
are also available through Kartek and McKenzies.